Foreclosure Laws and Procedures By State

The foreclosure process varies somewhat from state to state, and depends primarily on whether the state uses mortgages or deeds of trust for the purchase of real property. Generally, states that use mortgages conduct judicial foreclosures; states that use deeds of trust conduct non-judicial foreclosures. The principal difference between the two is that the judicial procedure requires court action on a foreclosed home.

The below table represents our current knowledge of which states use mortgages (judicial) or deeds of trust (non-judicial) or both. The table also includes estimated foreclosure timelines for each state. Please check with your local county government to verify this information. Inform us of any errors at info@realtytrac.com.

Compare all state foreclosure timelines on this simple one-page chart and click on any state name to read about detailed foreclosure procedures for that state.